The number that matters in IKEA’s Naperville plan is 97,079. That is the square footage of the new store at Block 59, according to a site plan from the developer, Brixmor Property Group. IKEA says the Bolingbrook store it replaces will stay open until late 2027, the same window in which the Naperville location is slated to open.
IKEA’s U.S. arm announced the move on Tuesday, October 6. The new store goes into space at Westridge Court and Block 59, along Route 59, once occupied by Going, Going, Gone, Discovery Clothing Co. and Ulta Beauty. Those three tenants have already shifted elsewhere in the development to make room.
A smaller format on purpose
This is not a one-off. The Naperville store belongs to a plan for nine small-format stores that IKEA announced in August. NCTV17 reported that such stores are about one tenth the size of a traditional IKEA and carry a curated product range. IKEA describes Naperville as a growing population center that also keeps the store close to existing Bolingbrook customers.
Shoppers will still find the Swedish Food Market and Swedish Deli. The full-range Schaumburg store stays where it is, 30 minutes from Naperville.
What the landlord and the city said
Rich Dippolito, a vice president at Brixmor, pointed to traffic. “Westridge Court and Block 59 attract nearly 7 million visits annually,” he said in a news release, adding that a second phase of development will include two new restaurant buildings totaling 22,000 square feet.
Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli framed it as a tax story. “The sales tax revenue IKEA generates will help fund city services and ease the burden on property taxpayers,” he said.
Bolingbrook’s side
The Bolingbrook store sits off Interstate 355. The village mayor said in a statement that officials look forward to opening a dialogue with IKEA about the 27-acre property. The site, along the I-355 and Boughton Road corridor, “presents significant opportunities for its future, including potential redevelopment,” the statement said. The mayor added that Bolingbrook keeps drawing business interest and private investment.
For now the Bolingbrook store has more than a year of trading left.
Sources
- IKEA relocating Bolingbrook store to Naperville
- IKEA relocating Bolingbrook, IL store to Naperville's Block 59 on Route 59 – ABC7 Chicago
- IKEA to relocate Bolingbrook store to Block 59 in Naperville | NCTV17
